Can you picture Jessica Chastain swinging on vines? Who else?
Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 9:00PM Though I think it's curious that the internet leaps so feverishly on to each casting wish as if it were reality, I feel we should discuss the latest speculative thing going around.
I made this. My apologies to Vogue Italia for repurposing their gorgeous image of Jessica
Yes, Jessica Chastain is "said to be the first choice for Jane" in that new Tarzan movie that might star Alexandar Skarsgård that I've talked about before to little interest from you. I think maybe you had to grow up with Tarzan movies playing in syndication on the TV to care? I did and come what may, I like Tarzan anything in an instant nostalgia kind of way.
But back to Jessica. Being first choice and being interested are two extremely different things and I'd be willing to bet she's "first choice" for about 70% (am I lowballing it?) of the screenplays out there with a female lead OR supporting role for a woman in her early to mid 30s. I mean think about it. Hollywood producers get VERY fixated on certain people despite there being an abundance of talent from which to choose. She's about to turn 36 but reads more like 30, don't you think? She is a) gorgeous b) a fine actor c) incredibly versatile d) obsessed over as the next big thing that isn't Jennifer Lawrence who she's not really competing for roles with anyway and e) she's probably cheaper to cast still (for maybe 5 more minutes) than the more established stars in her age bracket. The only reason I think this might happen despite it sounding ridiculous is that there is apparently three of her she finds time to do so much.
Chastain probably loves all of these actresses she's so generous of spirit
Can you picture Jessica Chastain swinging on vines in a loincloth? Would you like to? I think she'd be a dynamic visual match with Skarsgård but the Jane part can be such a wash if the screenplay isn't good. And as for her competition, this begs the question
Exactly who is her competition these days (not for "Jane" but in general)?
Headliners in her age bracket (ages 30-36) in alpha order
Blunt, Dunst, Hathaway, Gyllenhaal, McAdams, Portman, Williams... there are a ton of major stars now in their late 30s -- Theron, Adams, and many more -- but I just wanted to limit this or I'd be researching all day
Less famous and/or less prestigious (at the moment) but probably on long lists for the 30-36 age bracket
Atwell, Collins, Cornish, Garai, Green, Hall, Harris, Kruger, Marling, Miller, Munn, Pike, Rapace, Reilly, Sagnier, Saldana, and Riseborough
Chastain can't do every movie... even if there's three of her! Who would you love to see snatching up the opportunities she passes on? Which of her headline competitors would you like to take roles from and give to Jessica?
Reader Comments (25)
Emily Blunt would probably make a fantastic Jane, regardless of whether or not the project's actually worthy of her, even though it so rarely is.
Garai, though? I mean she is 30 but she reads younger than many twenty-somethings to me or even someone her age like Dunst, for example, who I could see getting (and deservedly so) some of the "meant-for-Chastain" spots. Ideally, of the lot you mention I'd love to see Romola, Kirsten, Rosamund and Abbie getting more significant roles but with the exception of Dunst none seem to get persons excited.
With Romola in particular, people seem to never tal her up. I'd say she (Garai) is battling with the Carey Mulligan for NEVER LET ME GO or SHAME like roles more than Chastain type roles. Knightley, though younger, is someone who I'd say reads older Romola and whom I could actually see in some Chastain planned roles.
I also suspect that Amy Adams would conceivably be someone who's in Chastain's bracket (and not just for the red headed thing).
I would love to see Abbie Cornish in a great film again. It's been nearly four years since Bright Star and someone of her caliber, who's proved to be one of the finest dramatic actresses of her generation in a variety of films (Somersault, Candy, the aforementioned Bright Star) deserves more great opportunities. Also, Kirsten Dunst's upcoming projects have me quite worried for her. Besides The Two Faces of January (directed by Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini, co-starring Viggo Mortensen and Oscar Isaac, and based on a Patricia Highsmith novel) her upcoming projects are... questionable. The only film she's attached to is Cities reuniting her with, erm, Orlando Bloom. I would love to see Kirsten as Jane seeing as I think she could bring an edge and a sass to the character and it would most likely raise her profile and perhaps make it easier for her to be a part of smaller, more character driven, independent films. However, I do encourage everyone who's a Kiki fan to find On the Road when it's re-released later this month if you haven't already seen it. Ms. Dunst delivers yet another great performance in what's been a pretty great run for her the past 28-30 months (All Good Things, Melancholia, Bachelorette and On the Road).
Yeah, I would say she is probably giving Amy Adams some competition lately... but Chastain also found box office success on screen and on stage, so she's moving fast up the food chain.
Chastain seems so hot right now plus a muse to a lot of hot prestige directors - Malick, Bigelow, - that I don't think her competition is those in her age bracket only. She was after all first choice befor Naomi Watts for Diana. I think it's as you mention Portman, Willliams but also Amy Adams and possibly those a few years older like Blanchet, Winslett and Watts.
She'll pass on this I think like she did on Oblivion and Iron Man 3 and compete for meatier roles in auteur driven pics I think.
I feel like half my comments on this blog are just sticking up for Amy Adams. But yes, I would say that she is a headliner in Chastain's age bracket.
Also I grew up devouring hundreds of variations of Tarzan, including a cartoon series, and although I have warm memories of them, for some reason they don't bring up the same kind of nostalgia in me as, for example, the equally tacky Smurfs, or ahem, He-Man.
That said, Nathaniel, as a Tarzan and old-Hollywood fan, you absolutely must must must must must must must must read "Me, Cheeta" by James Lever. It's 'Cheeta's autobiography' and it is so hilarious, inspired, delicious and heartbreaking that it even made it into the Booker longlist for that year. It's both bitchy fun and great literature. And it's about the movies.
Ooh, good Photoshop job there, Nat!
I would love to see Rosamund Pike get some of those talked of roles although I don't see her as Jane. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal is done as far as leading lady roles go.
All actresses are five-, ten-, even fifteen-plus years younger that they look on film -- Hollywood has been very adept at that. Since that is a given, how about Michelle Monaghan? Chastain just doesn't have the carriage -- as fine as an actress as she is.
Matthew -- agreed. Maybe this is silly of me but I sometimes feel like she doesn't care... or doesn't want it bad enough?
Andrew -- i wish Rosamund Pike would excite people. I'd love to see her in bigger parts. But the movies she gets are too blah. I need something big and juicy for her, role-wise. As far as Adams vs. Chastain. i can see that too which also points to Chastain's versatility age-wise... I really feel like she can play anything betweeen 28-42 ;)
Damian -- abbie seems to have had some bad luck with the movies she ends up in. i also need another Bright Star.
i think the problem with some actresses -- and i hate to say this since i care infinitely more about the movies than celebrity culture -- is that not everyone makes an interesting celebrity. The people who are good at both are generally the people who become superstars. I wouldn't necessarily have suspected that Jessica chastain was one oft hose people but then she was just so freaking charming last year as herself in addition to being so damn good in every movie.
Also, when is Maggie Gyllenhaal going to get a leading lady vehicle worthy of her talents? It has been TOO LONG since Secretary (2002) and Sherrybaby (2006).
Damian -- the weirdest thign about that is that her career seemed to screech to a halt WITH the oscar nomination. rather than benefit from it.
I think the issue is that Crazy Heart was NOT one of her best performances, and in my opinion, an undeserved nomination. Also, she's made some questionable choices since then (Hysteria, Won't Back Down). Hopefully the Tatum film (White House Down) and the Fassbender film (Frank) breathe new life and more great, complex, challenging roles come her way.
She also had her second child last year so maybe the career isn't her main focus, which is of course, totally understandable. I just wish some of the roles Chastain is being offered would be offered to Gyllenhaal too. Samantha Morton is also someone who I find often times gets the short end of the stick in terms of the projects she gets offered/chooses to do, but works consistently. It's also interesting to note that all three actresses were born the same year (1977).
Maybe I'm a snob but I hope Jessica will keep on working with challenging & interesting filmmaker in interesting projects, as oppose to sleepwalk in front of a green screen for a good pay check...
Chastain would make an awesome Jane, but I think Emily Blunt and Rebecca Hall would also be great (maybe better for the part).
I'm surprised so many people said Kirsten. She's one of my favorite actresses, but I can't really see it. Of course I don't really know anything about Tarzan besides the Disney animated feature, haha. I'm young!
I do think Maggie Gyllenhaal would be good too!
Chastain and Skarsgard - oh yes baby!
this project doesn't sound like something Jessica Chastain would benefit from doing, but the pairing of her and Alex Skarsgard is music to my ears. both extremely sexy and extremely talented. if only this could be the casting for a new Lars Von Trier movie...
Jessica Chastain has given me hope for American cinema. She has the beauty, class, and talent of a Golden Age superstar.
That being said, I hope she turns 'Tarzan' down. A girl's gotta eat, but this project is beneath her.
Second that, Mike M. I'm still pissed she didn't get that Oscar.
The key is she is being wanted for the role as 'first choice' as Nathaniel R stated. Although she has been upfront in not being type-cast into certain movies, I am wary that this interest is more than one-sided. And to echo stjeans, this is my snob side speaking most. But I am taking these reports with a grain of salt. This as a follow-up to Miss Julie and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby would be strange.
That said, she was attached to Oblivion and Iron Man 3 until she got calls from Megan Ellison and Kathryn Bigelow to join ZDT. It is not like she ever thought such commercial, franchise movies were below her. She has noted out of all of her filmography, only one was made directly by a major studio and all of her movies have been independently made with some major studio distribution.
She has been open about doing comedies, and not necessarily the rom-coms. I could see that closer to her next direction and it fits more to her wanting to not play a certain type. Jane is sort of the Mrs. O'Brien, the model of grace, for Tarzan.
Love her. I think it's crazy that Jennifer Lawrence is so celebrated by the media when Jessica Chastain is so much smarter, prettier, classier, and more talented.
Jessica and Stellan would be so hot together. Like Clark and Vivien. Burt and Ava, and Kate and Leo levels of hotness.
As Nathaniel R said, big difference between being interested and being wanted. I am wary of this actually happening. That said, she was attached to Oblivion and Iron Man 3 until Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison called to convince her to read the script for ZDT, so it was not like she never felt above commercial, Hollywood franchise movies. She actually has mentioned out of all of the movies in her filmography, only one was produced AND distributed by a major studio while much of her work has been independent of the big studio apparatus.
But like stjeans, the snob side of me hopes she is not interested in this. She actually has made it a point that she would like to do a comedy and she never wants to be boxed in as an actress. A comedy, and not necessarily a rom-com, is more of a stretch than Jane. I mean, is Jane not kind of like Mrs. O'Brien in the Tree of Life, an embodiment and teacher of grace? This being the post-Eleanor Rigby and post-Miss Julie project would be weird.
I do hope she does return to projects of directors she has worked with before, even if that does test whether or not she wants to be boxed in. She did get another role with Malick but to the surprise of nobody, including herself, her scenes got cut in To the Wonder. I would really love if she did another movie with Kathryn Bigelow or Jeff Nichols.
CMG, from awards seasons interviews and acceptance speeches, I get a strong feeling that there's a great rapport and mutual admiration between Jessica and Kathryn. I would be ecstatic to see another collaboration. And it would make sense: Both women are mavericks, edgy artists, bold risk-takers, completely outside the Hollywood norm of cookie-cutter movie-making. Sounds golden to me.